Protective cover for the mouths of bottles



g- 1931- E. KLEIST 1,820,144

PROTECTIVE COVER FOR THE MOUTH OF A BOTTLE Filed Aug. 13, 1928 Patented Aug. 25, 1931 EDWARD KLEIST, .01 PORTLAND, OREGON PROTECTIVE covER ron THE MOUTHS or BorrLEs Application filed August 18, 1928. Serial No. 299,207.

This invention relates to sanitary means for covering the mouths of milk bottles and the like.

h Various methods of protecting the rim of 3 a milk bottle have been provided, but none of them, in my opinion, are satisfactory, in that they are too costly and tend to become easily punctured and displaced and in most cases do not provide an efiective seal for the bottle mouth.

' Furthermore, even though the milk bottle may have been sterilized before being filled, it is of necessity handled by the attendant to a more or less extent after sterilization and before being capped, especially so. since the comparatively narrow neck is the most convenient part of the bottle by which it may be handled, with the result that the outside of the neck is apt to become contaminated between the sterilizing and the capping of the bottle. Also, more or less contamination may result from contact of the bottle cappinglmachinery on the neck of the bottle. T e objectof-my invention is to provide simple means at nominal and negligible cost adapted to be used in combination with the ,usual disc-like milk bottle cap, whereby to cover completely the rim and mouth of the milk bottle and a substantial portion of the exterior surface of the neck below the rim, thus to prevent conta1nination due 'to handling or exposure of the bottle. Without such protection contamination is likely to result especially in the cavity formed. over the bottle cap within the rim of the mouth of the bottle in which foreign matter is apt to lodge. With my invention the mouth of the bottle is provided with a'seal supplementary to the bottle cap and permits against tampering or openin g, by anyone but the top of the bottle to be thoroughly washed the ultimate consume'r, such means comprismg a hood composed of thin parchment or relatively tough paper, adapted to be folded down about the neck of the bottle and secured in place by sealing means which must be torn away before the bottle can be uncapped.

I attain my objects by providing a hood or cover of pliable, flexible, liquid and moisture resisting material'over the top of the bottle extending a substantial distance down 00 over the rim of the bottle and a band of similar material secured about said hood, adjacent its lower extremities and secured by a plate or clasp, provided with prongs, adapted to be inserted through said band and said hood and II to be clinched against the underside of the material by pressing against the bottle neck, and in providing a disc-like bottle cap of the usual kind to be pressed into the rim of the bottle and over the .hood to secure the cover-'10 ing from puncturing or breaking, and to seal the mouth of the bottle against leakage.

The details of my invention and mode of applying to the neck of a bottle are hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a milk bottle with my hood iecu'ed in place and the cap aflixed over the Fig. 2 shows an enlarged central longitudinal section taken on 1 and illustrates further details;

Figs. 3 and 4 show diagrammatically the method of securing the band about the bottle;

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the clasp employed; and

Fig. 6 shows the bottle and the disc cap in place on the hood not yet folded down about the neck of the bottle.

Referring to the drawings, the hood a comprises a preferably rectangular sheet of parchment paper which is placed over the mouth of the milk bottle, 6, and a disc cap a of cardboard or the like is pressed into place within a rim or bead d of the mouth of the bottle, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

At this point the exterior surface of the neck of the bottle may be sterilized by any I llitable means, such as a spray, whic also serves to moisten the hood a, so as to become more pliable and easily drawn down over the neck of the bottle, Figs; 1 and 6.

However, the hood a may be folded down over the neck of the bottle, quite as well in its dry state if such is desirable.

After the hood has been'drawn and folded down on the bottle neck a band 6 of similar material is placed about the neck of the bottle and around the hood and its end 6, 62 secured together, Figs. 3 and 4, by a plate or clasp f, provided with prongs g, the latter being inserted through the ends of the band and through the folds of the hood a and then clinched on the underside of the hood by pressure against the neck of the bottle.

The portions of the hood a projecting below the band e, may conveniently be used as a finger hold when removing the hood and cap, by which it may be grasped between the fingers and pulled upwardly, rupturing the band 6 and removing the hood and cap from the bottle. a

By this means the cap 0 is more conveniently removed, than when used alone. in which case a pointed instrument or the finger nail must be used to pry the cap loose.

After the cap and hood have once been removed they may both be temporarily replaced or the hood without the cap, to close the mouth of the bottle, as when only a portion of the milk has been used.

I claim:

1. A bottle closure means comprising, a sheet of flexible material adapted to be cupped over the mouth of the bottle with its marginal portions extending a substantial distance down over the neck of the bottle and terminating in the form of triangular finger grasping pieces, a disk adapted to be firmly seated over the sheet in the mouth of the bottle, a band of rupturable material encircling the sheet about the neck of the bottle and located intermediate the top and the extremities of said. marginal portions, a clamp for securing the ends of the band together, said band constituting a seal whereby the sheet may not be removed without breaking the seal, and said extremities of said sheet constituting meansfor rupturing said band to remove the closure means from the bottle.

2. A bottle closure means comprising, a

rectangular sheet of flexible material adapt ed to be cupped over the mouth of the bottle with its marginal portions extending a substantial distance down over the neck of the bottle and terminating in the form of triangular finger grasping pieces, a disk adapted to be firmly seated over the sheet in the mouth of the bottle, a band of rupturable material encircling the sheet about the neck of the bottle and located intermediate the top and the extremities of said marginal portions, a clamp for securing the ends of the thebottle.

- EDWARD KLEIST. 

